The KGNU Science Show
This week on How on Earth, Beth delves into the science of vaccination for the new corona virus and speaks with Dr David Werner of SUNY Binghamton about his research on the likelihood that general anesthetics can set children and adolescents up for the risk of later alcohol abuse. Find out more at his website.
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Producer: Beth Bennett
Engineer: Maeve Conran
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:21 — 26.0MB)
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Today on How on Earth, Beth plays part of a 1964 lecture by Nobel laureate Richard Feynman in which he discusses how the scientific method actually works and the progressive, and therefore uncertain, nature of science. Then she speaks with Dr Melanie Peffer about her book, Biology is Everywhere, and her goals of making biology accessible and interesting to everyone. Her website was cited incorrectly on the show, here is the true link.
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Engineer: Maeve Conran
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:25 — 23.3MB)
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Carl Safina – Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace We talk with bestselling author Carl Safina about his new book, Becoming Wild, which features sperm whales, scarlet macaws and chimpanzees Safina also he reflects on what the Covid-19 pandemic means for the entire kingdom of Life on Earth. (Entire Show)
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Producer: Shelley Schlender
Engineer:Maeve Conran
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:34 — 25.3MB)
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Beth and Angele discuss the pros and cons of mask wearing as protection against the novel corona virus. You can see the video on sneezing, as well as the various types of masks. Then, Angele talks to Byron Kamenick from Jack’s Solar Garden, located outside of Niwot. Jack’s Solar garden is putting in place an Agrivoltaics system this summer. Agrivoltaics combines agriculture and solar panels (photo-voltaics). There are mutual benefits to locating these together. You can find out more about Jack’s at their website.
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Producer: Angele Sjong & Beth Bennett
Engineer: Maeve Conran
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:30 — 27.9MB)
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With graduation season is upon us, today’s edition of How on Earth is our annual “Graduation Special”. Our guests in the studio today are scientists who have or will soon receive their Ph.D. in a STEM-related field. They talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next.
Hayley Sohn – CU Boulder, Materials Science and Engineering Program
Topic: Large-Scale Patterning and Dynamics of Topological Solitons in Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystals
Clement Zheng – CU Boulder, ATLAS Institute
Topic: Everyday Materials for Physical Interactive Systems
Jennifer Berry – CU Boulder, Chemistry
Topic: Development and Application of Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Measuring Terrestrial and Exoplanetary Organic Nitrogen
Host / Producer : Joel Parker
Engineer: Maeve Conran
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:10 — 24.9MB)
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This week on How on Earth, we speak with Professor Catherine Donnelly, of the University of Vermont, about her book, Ending the War on Artisan Cheese. She exposes the efforts of the corporate dairy industry, in conjunction with the FDA, to limit the use of raw milk in making artisanal cheese, despite a long track record of safety in artisans cheese. in this fascinating book, she discusses the art of cheese making, and the self-imposed guidelines that make using raw milk in the artisanal process safe.
Hosts:Beth Bennett & Angele Sjong
Producer:Beth Bennett
Engineer:Maeve Conran
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:00 — 27.5MB)
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Berkeley Scientists help their city test for Covid 19 (Starts 1:00) Fyodor Urnov of Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute explains why and how scientists anywhere can help their local community test for the Covid-19 virus.
Cytokine Storms Explained (Starts 13:05) CU Boulder Biology Professor Beth Bennett explains the “cytokine storms” that people are hearing more about in serious Covid-19 infections.
A Diet that might Reduce Cytokine Storms (starts 16:43) Ron Rosedale, MD explains why eating a low carb, high fat, adequate protein diet lowers levels of the hormone leptin can lower IL-6 and might reduce the risk of Cytokine Storms. This is an excerpt from a longer interview. Go Here to listen to the extended version audio (40 minutes). Here is the extended interview transcript
Host/Producer/Engineer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:31 — 25.2MB)
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This week on How on Earth, we are still producing off site. Beth and Angele give an update on treatment and transmission of the corona virus and Shelley interviews CU Boulder scientists Anushree Chatterjee and Prashant Nagpal who explain the pros and cons of using old medicines to fight Covid-19, and they describe some new “medicines” in the future, and how to speed up their development.
Hosts: Beth Bennett, Angele Sjong, Joel Parker, Shelley Schlender
Producer: Beth Bennett & Joel Parker
Engineer: Maeve Conran
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:23 — 25.1MB)
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This week How on Earth adjusts to the restrictions imposed by the corona virus by replaying a previous feature on the chemistry of beer brewing. First Beth gives an overview of some proposed treatments for corona virus. Then, the featured interview with author Pete Brown. When the New York Times reviewed Miracle Brew, the reviewer said: A magisterial tour of fearsome science and vast brewery history leavened with cheery anecdotes, humor, vivid you-are-there prose and a clever eye for personality . . . His rhapsodies about the meaning of life and the meaning of beer are stirring. . . .His expertise and insight will leave you with a glimmer of infinity every time you hold a bottle of it in your hand.
Hosts:Beth Bennett & Angele Sjong
Producer:Beth Bennett & Joel Parker
Engineer:Maeve Conran
Executive Producer:Beth Bennett
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:56 — 25.6MB)
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This episode talks about research about COVID-19, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and targeted therapies, and our feature is an interview with CU-Boulder scientists Anushree Chatterjee and Prashant Nagpal. This husband and wife science team explains why there may be a downside to adapting old medications to fight Covid-19. They’ll also explain their anguish about why creating new “drugs” to fight Covid-19 cannot happen as fast as they or anyone would like. They have founded the Antimicrobial REgeneration Consortium, with the goal of speeding up the creation and availability of antimicrobial medicines. They are also developing a way to give people a tiny dose of nanoparticles–basically incredibly tiny microchips, preprogrammed to specifically target a disease such as Covid-19 (see our earlier discussions with them).
Host: Beth Bennett, Angele Sjong, Shelley Schlender, Joel Parker
Producer: Joel Parker, Beth Bennett
Engineer: Maeve Conran
Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Listen to the show:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:23 — 25.1MB)
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